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it seems I have another defective part, the new sun water temp gauge has gone bad.
it started only going up to 160 for a couple of days, now it sits at the bottom of the scale, immobile. the copper lead seems fine and there are no kinks or loose parts at either end.
If it's the eletric gauge, it could be the sending unit. If you haven't replaced that in awhile, it could be the problem, not the gauge.
all one piece. the bulb all the way to the gauge, connected by a solid copper wire, wrapped in a "spring".
I had a defective ign. distributor,
and the new ignition switch fell apart in my hand. This vehicle has been a nightmare to keep on the road, all due to poor quality control in CHINA!!
Welcome to the world of replacement parts for elderly cars.
Why a mechanical gauge? Running those tubes to the dash and trying to keep kinks out of them is a nightmare - and they are either too long or worse, too short
I have had similar experiences with replacement parts for my 66 and 48. I have tried to find true NOS when possible, of course now anything in an old parts box, new, used, or defective is sold as NOS. Sometimes I have had better luck with parts from junk yard.
I've pretty much given up on the "OEM Replacement" parts that come from out of country.... Lots of good race quality parts that work good, though often with a bit of modification, in place of worn out original pieces...
I like mechanical gauges myself, not fond of the fugly sending units for the electronics. Do like the electronic tach I find that instrument more stable then a cable drive. I also like to stay with a brand that has been around such a SW.
Ten years ago when I was running the shop full time I would get a bad part about once or twice a year. Now it seems I get them 4-6 times a year and I'm doing a lot less work.
Best one was when I was building my Dodge truck a few years ago. I needed it to go thru inspection to get a good title on it prior to taking it apart to rebuild it. I picked up a new switch (made in China) it lasted exactly once into reverse. It was a Sunday so I pulled a 40 year old OE switch from a used transmission I had laying around and put it on to go thru inspection.
When I rebuilt the truck I put in a TCI transmission, which came with a new backup light switch. It was a better switch......it lasted a week (Made in India). The old OE switch is back in there again and still doing fine.